To Return for Romance
by Emmeline Black
Summary: Terry returns to LA with hope of a new relationship with an old boyfriend. Megan gets an unexpected surprise when she arrives at the office Monday morning. One-shot.


A/N: Thanks to Schuyler Lola for the great beta!

**To Return for Romance**

Terry looked around the restaurant for a place to sit. It was unusually busy for a Sunday afternoon. The only table she could find was pushed up against a table occupied by a brunette woman who had her nose buried in a folder full of papers. Not wishing to disturb the woman, but needing a place to eat her salad, Terry walked up to her. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

The woman looked up. "Not at all."

Terry nodded her thanks as she sat catty-corner to the woman. She picked at the salad as the woman went back to her papers.

'_Why?'_ Terry thought. _'Why do things have to be so difficult? Why can't he just tell me he loves me?' _Terry thought back to her last encounter with the man of her dreams. It was when he had convinced her to come back to Los Angeles. She had been asked to lead a new unit on the floor below her old unit, and he had found out. It was a great opportunity, he told her. Being in charge of her own unit was something Terry was looking forward to, but could she face him everyday? She buried her face in her hands in an attempt to suppress a sob.

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"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Megan looked up to see a petite blonde woman carrying a tray of food and gesturing to the seat at the table next to her. Megan shook her head. "Not at all." Megan returned to her papers. Paperwork was her least favorite part of working at the FBI. Doing her part to make the world a better place was a wonderful feeling, but did she really need to document every little move that she made during a case? She was happy that their current case had been wrapped up earlier in the week, but she hated that finishing a case meant more paper work for her.

Hearing something that sounded suspiciously like a sob, Megan looked up. The blonde woman that had asked to sit near her wiped a tear from her eye.

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"Are you okay?" Terry was wrenched from her thoughts by the woman's voice. She was staring at Terry, concern evident in her eyes.

Terry shook her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the stranger prodded.

"I shouldn't unload all of my problems onto you…" Terry trailed off as the woman shook her head.

"Nonsense. I don't mind. You need someone to talk to, and I need a distraction from this file, anyway."

That was all it took for Terry to want to spill her entire story to the woman.

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"I'm in love with my best friend," she started. "He was my partner at work before I moved away to try to work things out with my ex-husband. I don't know what I thought I was doing. I couldn't stop thinking about my partner the entire time I was there. It didn't work out with my ex so my partner convinced me to try to transfer back here. He gave me so many reasons to move back, but he never said anything about us…" She stopped, her voice thick with tears.

"Were you dating before you left?" Megan asked, trying to understand more of what the woman meant.

"We dated in school about twelve years ago," Terry explained. "We lost touch, and I thought I was over him..." She trailed off helplessly.

Megan nodded sympathetically and waited for Terry to calm down enough to continue.

She took a deep breath. "Every time he has the chance to…to say _anything_, he stops and changes the subject. I can't stand it anymore!" Terry dropped her eyes back to her uneaten salad. "Everything he does suggests that he likes me, but he never says anything. We used to be so good at communicating…" She looked up at Megan. "When we dated in school, we talked about everything, and then when we met again and became partners ten years later, everything seemed normal. Now I can't get through a conversation with the man without fighting tears! And now I sound like a teenager obsessing about a crush!" Terry put her hands over her face in embarrassment and frustration.

"You don't have to be a teenager to have a broken heart," Megan reminded gently. "Have you tried talking to him about your feelings?"

"Every time I try he gets this scared look on his face and changes the subject. We get close to seriously discussing our relationship, and he runs. He finds something he needs to do or someone he needs to talk to that can't possibly wait." Terry's voice was muffled by her hands. "I've been back in LA for a week, and he refuses to admit the reason he wanted me to come back. He had the nerve to kiss me before I left! Kiss me and then never mention it again! I start work tomorrow, and I'll have to see him everyday. We won't be partners anymore, but we'll be in the same office, and I don't know if I can do it. He called me about an hour ago and said he wants to meet me before work tomorrow. I can't help but hope that he's going to tell me, and I don't want to start crying when he doesn't. If he told me I was imagining things and he wasn't interested at all, it would be better than not knowing." She pulled her hands away from her face to look at Megan, sorrow and anger battling for control in her eyes. Sorrow won.

Megan pulled some tissues out of her purse and handed them to the other woman before saying, "Confront him when you meet him tomorrow. Tell him how you feel. Make it clear that he needs to tell you his feelings or stop playing with your emotions. If he doesn't admit it, then maybe he isn't worth it." She said this carefully, hoping not to offend the other woman.

Terry nodded sadly. "You're right, but I hope it doesn't come to that."

Terry looked so miserable that Megan walked around the table and pulled her into a hug. Terry clung to her for a moment before pulling back. "Thank you so much. I really needed that."

Megan smiled softly. "I'm glad I could help."

Terry stood. "I should be going. Thanks again."

"Hold on a minute." Megan pulled a blank piece of paper from the file she had been working on earlier and scribbled her number on it. "Here," she said, handing the paper to Terry, "In case you ever want to talk."

Terry smiled. "Thank you. I'm Terry, by the way."

"Megan. Nice to meet you."

The two women shook hands and smiled.

"Good luck with your partner tomorrow, Terry," Megan said as Terry moved to leave.

"Thanks, Megan. I hope to see you around."

Megan nodded and waved as Terry exited the restaurant, throwing away her uneaten food. She really hoped that everything worked out for the woman. She seemed like a nice person. Megan turned her attention back to her file.

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Megan walked into the office early Monday morning absently wondering what had happened with Terry and her old partner. She walked toward her desk, flicking through the paperwork she had finally finished the day before. Megan looked up to see Don, who was only early on Monday mornings if he had stayed at the office the night before, standing in front of his desk kissing…no, that didn't begin to cover it… _making out_ with a small blonde woman. Megan's mouth fell open in shock. This was not the way she had expected to start her day. "Morning, Don."

He pulled away from the woman abruptly, surprised by his partner's arrival. He turned to Megan, his arm still around the blonde's waist, her hand resting on his chest. "Megan, hi," he said breathlessly. He and the blonde were rapidly turning the color of tomatoes in their embarrassment.

Megan gave him an amused smile before glancing at the other woman. She stopped, absolutely astonished. She quickly blinked and looked at the blonde again, seeing her stunned expression mirrored perfectly in the other woman's face. "Hi, Terry. Nice to see you again."

"Hey, Megan."

Now it was Don's turn to be surprised. "You know each other – when – but – how – what?" he stuttered.

Terry and Megan shared a smile. "We met yesterday at a restaurant and had an … enlightening conversation," Megan answered, smirking.

Terry's eyes widened, clearly afraid that Megan would share the topic of said emotional conversation.

Megan gave her a reassuring look, before turning back to Don. "I'll see you later. Terry, could I talk to you for a moment?"

Terry nodded curiously and followed Megan across the room. "So…" Megan turned to look the other woman. "Things worked out with your former partner?" Megan grinned as Terry flushed and nodded.

"I didn't have to say anything. He just told me how he felt and apologized for taking so long and leading me on. He was so nervous I was afraid he was going to wet his pants until I told him that I felt the same way."

Both women laughed, glancing at him. "Don Eppes, the man who finds facing armed criminals easier than talking to a woman about his feelings," Megan quipped. They laughed again.

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_Don's POV_

Don watched the exchange between his current partner and his former one. What he wouldn't give to know what was being said. Being as well acquainted with them as he was, Don doubted that either would ever tell him. Both women laughed and looked in his direction making Don slightly uneasy. How could women do that with just a glance? He tried to busy himself with his work, but was interrupted as they laughed again. He looked up to see Megan hug Terry and leave the office. Terry headed back toward him, a smile on her face.

"What was that about?" Don asked when she reached him.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Megan said that we might want to find somewhere more private if we were going to finish our previous…conversation." She smiled mysteriously as she touched her lips to his. Don pulled her into his lap as the kiss became more involved. To hell with privacy – he would be perfectly happy to remain like this for eternity.

_A/N: Terry's a little OOC, but I figure she's allowed a minor emotional breakdown every once in a while – especially when she's trying to maintain a relationship with "the dateless wonder!"_

_On a completely unrelated note, I would like to challenge everyone on to keep Megan alive. With Diane Farr's recent departure, we've lost Larry's love interest as well as an amazing character. Please keep Megan Reeves in your thoughts and stories!_


End file.
